"Duke Zheng, since you have resolutely chosen to stand against me, why should I care about your life or death? You are fully aware of everything I have done. Yet now you pretend to know nothing. Do you think you can save the Duke's Mansion with just that? You are sorely mistaken! As long as you are my uncle, the Duke's Mansion will never escape this matter. If I fail this time, and you try to remain unscathed, it only shows that you think the Emperor is too merciful!" Lin Mushen's tone was icy, filled with undisguised sarcasm.

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Zheng was utterly astonished, his body trembling uncontrollably. He stammered, "You...you mustn't spout nonsense! I knew absolutely nothing about you poisoning the Emperor. To clear you of any involvement, I even risked my life to send men to break you out of prison and capture the Taoist priest..." Before he could finish speaking, a chorus of boos rose from the crowd.

"What exactly is going on? Could it be that the Emperor is really poisoned? And the person who did it is actually the Emperor's own son?" someone asked in a low voice, full of suspicion.

Duke Zheng was determined to distance himself from the matter, but he never expected that his hasty words of explanation would instead sound like an admission of guilt, digging a huge pit for himself to fall into.

At this moment, Emperor Rongsheng's face was ashen, his eyes fixed on Duke Zheng, and he said coldly, "Fine, very well! Then continue. Just how many unspeakable schemes have you people plotted behind the scenes to take my life?"

Faced with the Emperor's fury, the Duke of Zheng could no longer hold back. He knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Your Majesty, please see the truth! I truly knew nothing of what he did. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy and spare my life."

Emperor Rongsheng waved his hand wearily, as if even speaking required immense effort. He really didn't want to waste any more words with Duke Zheng and just wanted to end this farce as soon as possible.

"Take Lin Mushen away!" Emperor Rongsheng roared angrily, forcing himself to stand up.

However, before he could finish speaking, a group of soldiers, armed with swords and knives, surged in like a tide.

They all had ferocious expressions, staring fiercely at Emperor Rongsheng, their eyes seeming as if they wanted to devour him alive.

At this moment, Emperor Rongsheng looked around and found that apart from the loyal Lin Muheng and Jiang He, he could no longer command anyone else.

Upon seeing this, Lin Mushen burst into unrestrained laughter, the sound echoing throughout the palace and sounding particularly jarring.

"Father! Do you think that I, who dare to stand here today, would not have made thorough preparations?" he said with a smug smile.

Emperor Rongsheng's eyes widened as he angrily rebuked, "You unfilial son! Stop now, or you'll make another mistake!"

However, the deep disappointment in his eyes was nothing more than a pretense in Lin Mushen's eyes.

Lin Mushen was not afraid at all. Instead, he became even more arrogant and domineering, shouting, "Father, today is the day you abdicate and pass the throne to a worthy successor! As long as you obediently hand over the imperial seal and write an edict to pass the throne to your son, then your son will naturally show leniency and forgive all the ministers present. Otherwise... hmph!" His tone was full of threat at the end.

Emperor Rongsheng was furious, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. Pointing at Lin Mushen, he cursed, "You unfilial and disobedient son! Your treacherous and cunning schemes to seize the throne are simply outrageous and unjust! Don't you care at all about the condemnation and scorn of the people?"

Lin Mushen, however, responded with disdain and arrogance: "Since ancient times, the victor is king and the loser is a bandit. As long as I successfully ascend the throne, the entire world will be under my rule. Anyone who dares to make unwarranted criticisms or spread rumors will have their tongue ripped out, and then we'll see who dares to speak out of turn!"

His arrogant and domineering demeanor made him seem as if he had become a true emperor.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Rongsheng turned pale with anger.

Lin Muheng could no longer bear it. He roared, "What an arrogant and ignorant wretch! Throughout history, traitors and villains have always been nailed to the pillar of shame, despised by all, and left with eternal infamy. Today, I will make sure you are utterly disgraced and infamous for ten thousand years!"

After speaking, Lin Muheng's eyes blazed with fury, and like a raging lion, he pounced straight at Lin Mushen.

Upon seeing this, Lin Mushen was terrified and hurriedly shouted, "Kill him right now!"

However, to his utter surprise, before he could finish speaking, the group of soldiers who had just been obedient and menacing towards him suddenly turned their blades on him.

"What...what are you doing? Kill Lin Muheng right now!"

Lin Mushen's voice trembled, a wave of panic washing over him. These soldiers were originally his trusted men!

But at this moment, these soldiers were all expressionless, their eyes cold and fierce, staring at Lin Mushen like hungry wolves, as if ready to devour him alive at any moment.

At that moment, Lin Mushen's heart was finally overwhelmed by panic.

His eyes widened as he frantically racked his brains trying to figure out which part of the process had gone wrong.

How did things get to this point? He couldn't understand the situation at all.

Lin Muheng's face was ashen, his eyes revealing a resolute and cold expression.

He suddenly swung out a palm strike, the wind from which was extremely fierce, heading straight for Lin Mushen.

Lin Mushen had no time to dodge and was instantly blasted away by the powerful force, crashing heavily to the ground.

Lin Mushen struggled to raise his head, his gaze passing over layers of soldiers, and he was shocked to find that the outer circle was actually surrounded by a dense, dark mass of Imperial Guards.

He was startled and wondered, "What's going on? I clearly sent people to drug these people, so why are they all unharmed?"

At this moment, Consort Zheng, who was standing to the side, was already dumbfounded.

She stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before her, her son's meticulously planned rebellion having failed so easily.

It didn't even have a beginning before it came to an end.

This sudden change left her at a loss.

After regaining her senses, Consort Zheng immediately knelt down in front of Emperor Rongsheng, pleading tearfully, "Your Majesty! Please forgive Shen'er! He already knows he was wrong and will never make the same mistake again."

Before she could finish speaking, she desperately reached out to grab Emperor Rongsheng's leg.

However, Emperor Rongsheng showed no mercy. He quickly raised his leg and kicked Consort Zheng hard in the chest without any hesitation.

With a muffled thud, Consort Zheng was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground. She spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the ground beneath her red.

The Duke of Zheng, who was not far away, witnessed all of this and closed his eyes in despair.

He knew all too well that the Duke's mansion was utterly finished. All hope and glory had vanished in that instant.

Duke Zheng collapsed to the ground.